Character Day was fabulous. The students read, discussed their books, and completed story puzzles. The focus today was to talk about their books, in an exciting format that would engage their classmates, and make them want to read their stories. The students will need to bring a beach towel to school on Wednesday, when the entire lower division will "Drop Everything And Read". Also known as D.E.A.R. time. We will be choosing books from our individual libraries or read books brought from home, to read silently outside on our towels. Our Oldie Goldie book sale will be on Friday. Please send in no more than a dollar for your child to participate. Also, keep cleaning out old books and send them to school by Wed.
In Math, the quarter will be introduced this week. The students will begin counting pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters all together.
Robust Vocabulary: joy, stammered, puzzling, probing, pleased, unrelenting
We will be studying about the bald eagle this week as well. We have a guest speaker coming in to talk with us next week, about the eagle's nest and it's baby eaglets on the Progress Energy Field.
Have a great week, it's almost Spring Break!

Oldie Goldie Book Fair: Oldie Goldie will be held on March 4 and will be the culminating event for Reading Week. Boxes will be in place for the collection beginning on February 21. Please help to encourage children to clear off their shelves and bring in books. Everyone loves to buy, but the more books that are brought in, the more books there are to purchase.

Reading Week: Reading Week will take place February 28 – March 4.
Frank Remkiewicz, illustrator of the “Froggy” books, will be visiting on Tuesday, March 1.

Monday – Dress as your favorite book character/share books in class. See Homework paper in their folders. I sent it home on Wednesday.
Tuesday – Visiting Illustrator– Frank Remkiewicz. EC & K – 8:30-9:15, Grades 1& 2– 9:30 – 10:15 in the Janet Root Theatre.
Wednesday – Outside – “Drop Everything and Read” (8:20 –8:50) – have students bring in towels to sit on. St. Petersburg Times Journalist, Letitia Stein, and magazine writer, Catherine Cobb will present.Third grade will be from 9:00-9:30 and fourth grade 9:40 – 10:10.
Thursday – Community Authors – Liesel Sole, Gina Longino,and Danielle Cameron.
Buddy Reading

Happy Presidents Day weekend.
I have some great pictures from our Science Teach-In on Wednesday afternoon. The kids loved making ice cream and goo! What a mess we made. Sorry about the ingredients on their clothes. No worries, it was all washable.
We learned about the States of Matter. Solid, liquid and gas as it was beginning with the ingredients, and how it was changed to become a solid. The temperature affected change. The goo was all three.
There is an attachment to the Homework Calendar this week on Tuesday, reviewing the uniform Dress Code. Please review this information.
We will be checking the next units Word Wall words on Friday. Please review all of the words on the ring this week.
Robust Vocabulary: retorted, asserted, congenial, cheerful, congregate, offended.
I enjoyed meeting with all of you during our conferences. Please keep referring to the Parent Letters and the Do Anytime Activities provided in Math.
We are studying the American Symbols this month and will be focusing on Florida through the month of March. We will be focusing on George Washington this week. Come look at our portraits of him in the hall.

Happy Monday! We have begun our U.S.A. study. We have already discussed President Lincoln and Mount Rushmore. We talked about the four presidents sculpted on the mountain and why. In first grade terms, Washington because he was the first president, Lincoln because he kept the states together during and after a war, Jefferson because he helped expand our country, and Roosevelt because he had the Panama Canal built to sail from east to west without going around South America. As you can see, they are very excited about learning what the American symbols are.
Happy Valentines Day! We counted, sorted and graphed Valentine hard candies this morning and compared more, less, and equal amounts. We also added and subtracted quantities. Of course, we ate some too!
In Writer's Workshop, we are beginning our Craft of Revision unit. The students are taught to go back and reread with a critical eye. They are taught how to add, and change what was originally written. Oh those purple pens have such power! The purple pens and paper are so inspirational for our changes. We are becoming more and more like real published authors.
In Math, I would like the students to work more closely with their coin combinations. We will be adding quarters shortly. I would like to challenge them to find the same amount using a different number of coins. For example the amount is 32 cents (use only 4 coins, use only 5 coins).
Don't forget our Hot Dog lunch is tomorrow. $5.00 is the suggested donation for the Relay for Life.
Our Robust vocabulary words: seek, gradual, downpour, incident, oblivious, indecisive.

Happy Monday! I look forward to meeting with all of you this week and next. Please check your times listed below. There is a new contract format being done on line for re-enrollment this year.
IMPORTANT ONLINE RE-ENROLLMENT INFORMATION:
We are excited to announce that we are moving to an online re-enrollment process! This will allow you to complete your enrollment contract online, as well as make payments online. We believe that this will save you time and effort.

You will no longer need to complete lengthy paperwork, as student information will be pre-populated on each student's individual enrollment form. Once the enrollment contract is submitted online, you will be able to print a copy of the contract for your records.

In addition, we are pleased to offer you an easy, secure online payment system to make electronic payments of tuition deposits, tuition refund plan payments, tuition, and donation payments. This convenient alternative for families will allow you to make electronic payments by e-check or credit card (Master Card, American Express or Discover only).

A convenience fee of 2.75% will be charged if you use a credit card; however, there is no fee for using e-check, which is a direct debit to your bank account. You will be receiving further information the week of February 16.

Conferences February 10th

7:10a.m. Roma (Karsten’s Mom)

7:30 a.m. Densa

8:10a.m. Breton

9:30a.m. Lauren Lawson

10:00a.m. Dolan

10:30a.m. Waldmann

11:00a.m. Hardgrove

11:30 LUNCH

12:30p.m. Leary

1:00p.m. Elwyn

1:30p.m. Kropf

2:00p.m. Peters

2:30p.m. Palmer

3:00p.m. Healy

February 9^th 3:15p.m. Lee

February 11^th 8:40a.m. Plotkin and 10:00a.m. Spencer

February 14^th 10:00a.m. McCarthy 12:00p.m. Dolson

2:05p.m. Canizares

February 15^th 11:00a.m. McElroy

February 16^th 2:05p.m. Forney

Thank-you

The picture at the top of my blog is showing a new math skill we have begun working on, equivalent numbers. The students are given any 2 or 3 digit number. They try to figure out equivalent names for that number using addition, subtraction, money, tallies, dominoes, and words. I have suggested to the students that they use a small, assignment size notebook, and have them ask you for a number that they can write at the top. Then, they can figure out 10 new equivalent names for that number. They need to put a new number at the top of each page. They can do this in the car or anywhere. It is a fun and educational activity.

We will be celebrating our Valentine's Day activity and game at 10:30a.m. on Monday Feb. 14th. All are welcome.

Robust vocab: devoted, overjoyed, mysterious, sensitive, alarmed, sympathy